An unexpected increase in your electricity bill can be a surprise. Whether driven by seasonal shifts, equipment inefficiencies or changes in your home, there could be an explanation for the variation in your bill. Let’s take a look at the biggest impacts on your bill and a few changes to help you manage your energy usage and your bill.
Has your household changed?: Since your last billing cycle, are the kids at home instead of at school? Did you change or add a new appliance like a dehumidifier or window air conditioning unit? Changes like these cause your usage to rise, impacting your bill.
Did the weather change?: An electric bill in April and an electric bill in July will look different. When your usage goes up, so does your bill. Because cooling your home uses more energy than almost anything else, July bills can be up to 96% higher than bills for April! With DTE’s Bill Analyzer Tool at billmgmt.dteenergy.com you can see what your bill looked like last year at the same time, allowing you to easily compare your usage and your bill to when conditions were most similar.
Bill Cycle: Unlike other common household services like internet or cell phone, you only pay for what you use on your electric bill. That means DTE needs to read meters and calculate bills, which causes bill cycles to vary. Some cycles have as little as 26 days while others have as many as 35. Check how many days were on this bill – the more days you have on your billing cycle, the higher your bill will be.
Now that you know what can cause your bill to change from month to month, here are some tips for how to manage your energy use and your bill!
Take advantage of off-peak rates: Don’t spend more on chores! Appliances like your washing machine and your dishwasher can be some of the biggest energy users in your home. Do your laundry or your dishes during off-peak hours to save! You can also save when you pre-cool your home before 3 p.m. in the summer, staying comfortable while keeping costs down.
Make your electric rate work for you: Are you at work most of the day? Do you charge an EV overnight? Do you work from home? These variables and more could mean a different rate might work best for you. Try out our Personalized Rate Finder at dteenergy.com/ratefinder or look at the explore rate types tool in the bill simulator of our Bill Analyzer to make sure you’re on the rate that works best for your household!
Seal and insulate your home: Keeping your home comfortable can use a lot of energy. Make sure your doors and windows are properly sealed to keep your air conditioner from working too hard – saving you money!
Increase your home’s IQ: A smart thermostat can make sure your AC is keeping you comfortable when you’re home and not running while you’re away. Install a smart power strip to help manage your energy use by better regulating devices – like TVs, computers and phone chargers – that draw power when not in use.
You can always stay informed about your usage and your bill with the DTE Insight App so you’re not caught off guard and manage your use all month long. Learn more at dteenergy.com/insight.
We encourage customers to reach out to us as soon as you think you may not be able to pay an upcoming bill. The sooner you reach out for help, the better we will be able to assist with available support. For more information on energy assistance options, visit dteenergy.com/help.
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